2014 NHL Playoffs

[chuckywang]

don't care

 

about what?

[sneakypower]

man, the Sharks must want to be disrespected forever

[Guest]

max talbot almost died tonight

 

http://mkerala.com/n/di/XQIU/dive.gif

[Guest]

don't care

 

about what?

Who won that game.

[CubsBears29]

max talbot almost died tonight

 

http://mkerala.com/n/di/XQIU/dive.gif

 

Am I missing something from that, or was that quite possibly the biggest flop in the history of sports?!?

[brinoch]

I'm in Denver on business, so I had the opportunity to go to the game. It was awesome.

 

Oh, and the Avs and Wild fans were all taunting each other before (and after) about who gets to lose to the Blackhawks.

[Soul]

COL goes from the hot new team to GONE, just like that. Sharks crap out. Both lose at home. That's marvelous

[Brian707]

Colorado had the biggest "puck luck" all year. Corsi stats proved that. It was only a matter of time before they regressed to the mean. I think for the season they were at 44% puck possession.

[biittner77]

Colorado had the biggest "puck luck" all year. Corsi stats proved that. It was only a matter of time before they regressed to the mean. I think for the season they were at 44% puck possession.

 

Speed and stupid good goaltending can mask a lot of flaws.

[sneakypower]

max talbot almost died tonight

 

http://mkerala.com/n/di/XQIU/dive.gif

 

Am I missing something from that, or was that quite possibly the biggest flop in the history of sports?!?

my personal favorite hockey dive

 

edit: another classic of his

Edited May 1, 2014 by sneakypower

[Soul]

Yeah, the luck finally reversed on the Avs last night. Wild paid them back almost exactly, with the late goal to tie it and then the OT winner. The only thing missing was getting the equalizer with the goalie pulled.

[Brian707]

 

Am I missing something from that, or was that quite possibly the biggest flop in the history of sports?!?

 

 

Just watch the Canucks team videos from 2009-2013. They could have made the Olympic diving team.

[UMFan83]

If the old NHL standings still existed, the 1, 5, 6, and 7 seeds in the West advanced.

[Brian707]

If the old NHL standings still existed, the 1, 5, 6, and 7 seeds in the West advanced.

 

 

Just like last year those seeds advanced.

[NewUserName]

Canadiens, Pens, Hawks, Ducks.

 

I was 6 of 8 in the first round. Picked Blues and Sharks. I have liked how the Canadiens have played since Price has come back. But Boston is very good. I think the other 3 series are not going to be that compelling.

[Derwood]

this OT between BOS and MTL is bananas

[USSoccer]

I want Montreal to win so that Canada remain befuddled on how to support a technically Canadian team full of fans that hate the rest of Canada.

[UMFan83]

Everyone keeps talking about all this parity because of the strict salary cap, but I was just thinking....last year's conference finals featured the last 4 champions (Penguins, Blackhawks, Bruins, Kings) and in the semis this year guess which 4 teams are still alive? Yep, those same 4 teams. And each of them is favored to win their series (although the Bruins lost game 1). I'd have to listen to some arguments from those that are diehards of the NHL as a whole, but it seems like if you can lock in your stars and be smart about adding depth and limit bad contracts, you can have consistent staying power, no?

[kujay]

Everyone keeps talking about all this parity because of the strict salary cap, but I was just thinking....last year's conference finals featured the last 4 champions (Penguins, Blackhawks, Bruins, Kings) and in the semis this year guess which 4 teams are still alive? Yep, those same 4 teams. And each of them is favored to win their series (although the Bruins lost game 1). I'd have to listen to some arguments from those that are diehards of the NHL as a whole, but it seems like if you can lock in your stars and be smart about adding depth and limit bad contracts, you can have consistent staying power, no?

 

I think that speaks to the quality of Chiarelli, Lombardi, Bowman and Shero and the coaches they hired. The margin for error is so much slimmer now. And, yes, having the best players doesn't hurt, but Shero can tell you it's not enough if you make a bad choice in goalies.

[Soul]

this OT between BOS and MTL is bananas

 

Dang it, I couldn't make it through. Fell asleep on the couch.

 

At one point MTL was surviving on a combination of Price's awesome saves and then just pure luck. That one where the puck was heading into the net at an angle, then the spin on the puck curved it away from the net was insane.

 

BOS outshot them by nearly 20.

 

Then MTL wins it anyway. Oh, hockey.

[biittner77]

Everyone keeps talking about all this parity because of the strict salary cap, but I was just thinking....last year's conference finals featured the last 4 champions (Penguins, Blackhawks, Bruins, Kings) and in the semis this year guess which 4 teams are still alive? Yep, those same 4 teams. And each of them is favored to win their series (although the Bruins lost game 1). I'd have to listen to some arguments from those that are diehards of the NHL as a whole, but it seems like if you can lock in your stars and be smart about adding depth and limit bad contracts, you can have consistent staying power, no?

 

That's true of any league, though. Entering the playoffs, you could have made a legit case for these teams winning the cup:

Hawks: Defending champs

Bruins: President's Trophy

Pens: Best individual player

Kings: experienced, goal tending, relatively healthy

Ducks: best record in best conference

Sha arks: talented team that challenged #1 status most of the season

 

That's close to half the teams in the tourney once you throw in that unexpected team (or 2) that always show up out of *nowhere. The NBA, has maybe 3 teams with any shot at winning the finals. Are there more than 6 MLB teams that could win the world series? Maybe 4 NFL teams that make the playoffs have any real chance.

[Andy]

Are there more than 6 MLB teams that could win the world series? Maybe 4 NFL teams that make the playoffs have any real chance.

Neither of these are correct. At least 10 MLB teams can win the World Series, because there's no rhyme or reason to what happens in the playoffs. The NFL has had the last team in win the Super Bowl several times recently (Green Bay in 2010, the Giants twice, Pittsburgh in 2005 I believe too).

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Yeah, there are way more than 10 teams that could win the World Series this year.

[Brian707]

Until last year the last 9 Cup champions were 9 different teams. That's why I hate the NBA, you know every year as someone above me pointed out that maybe 3 teams have a shot at the title. One or two players makes all the difference in the world from a 20 win team to an NBA champion. Hockey is all about depth, the deepest teams usually are standing at the end.

[Brian707]

but it seems like if you can lock in your stars and be smart about adding depth and limit bad contracts, you can have consistent staying power, no?

 

 

Yes this exactly, just look at the Wings of the last 20 years, and now the Hawks. Draft smart, lock up your core, and let the young players be seasoned in the AHL, have them replace the role players as they leave for other teams when their entry level contracts expire.